Confessions of a Married Man
by Segunda Katigbak
Summary: KYOUYA/OC. Love is like diamonds. It lasts forever.
1. a r g u m e n t s

**SUMMARY: **Kyouya/OC. It was a mutual feeling--that which ludicrous arguments would never cease.

**DISCLAIMER:** The copyright for Ouran was stolen from me. Can you believe that?

**A/N:** I thank an anonymous reviewer for telling me that dried mangoes indeed come from Cebu and not from Davao. Anyway, on with the story!

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**Arguments**

"No," Kyouya simply said as he pursed his lips and went back to his laptop and that ended the conversation. She was slumped in a chair, as far as possible, away from her husband. She was irritated all right and he wouldn't even give a damn to his own pregnant wife.

They were bickering again and Kyouya had gotten tired of all her ramblings. She was carrying their child, but hell with pregnancy. It was damnation to live under the roof with a wife who has sudden (and severe types of) mood swings. Her patience, which has been originally short (and which he had long learned how to get over with), was further halved after her first trimester. It was very frustrating.

He even remembered how she threw tantrums when he wasn't able to get her some dried mangoes from the Philippines. She wanted HIM to get it for her. How it could be physically possible for him to go to Cebu back to Tokyo in one whole glorious hour would be a mystery. Besides, he was in a middle of a meeting for a very important merger deal that he just couldn't leave.

And now, they were arguing again because of--God knows what--this time.

"Aki?" Kyouya asked all of a sudden as he closed his computer and got up to the bed.

"Hm?"

"What were we rowing about again?"

"Uh... I can't really remember."

He gave out a low chuckle. "Come up here," he said as he tapped the empty space on the mattress. His wife smiled warmly as she got up and strode up to him.

It was funny how they would fight. They'd shout at each other like there won't be any tomorrow, and then they'd dig out past issues and throw them altogether.

But even after all the raised voices, even after hurtful words had been spoken, they won't have any idea how they got into fighting. They won't even remember what they were fighting about (except for the dried mangoes issue because Kyouya was totally devastated about it.)

After the arguing, they would finally reconcile shortly after, laughing at how foolish they had been for doing something stupid and childish like that.

"Aki?" He wound his arms around his wife's body as he settled his hands on her slightly rounded belly.

"Hm?"

"What do you want to call our son?"

"Son?" she questioned as she raised one eyebrow. "We don't even know yet."

"Oh, Ootori's are branded with dominant genes," he spoke coolly, as if simply reminding her that it was a fact. "And we have a strong bloodline of males."

They were, after all; as he had two older brothers and Fuyumi was the only female.

"It's too early to tell," she argued back as she relaxed on his arms.

"Hm..." He breathed in her scent. In four years that they had been married, her scent was the only thing that soothed him. It was the only thing that he wanted his nose to fill in. It relaxed his mind, his muscles...whenever he'd go back home from work, he'd look forward to greet her smile and her hug and then she'd massage his shoulders as he soaked his body in a warm bath. She was intoxicating.

"I love you," he whispered as he planted soft kisses on the soft skin of her bare neck.

"I love you too."

It was a mutual feeling--that which ludicrous arguments would never cease.

---

**end**

Review this one, m'kay?


	2. n o o n e e l s e

**SUMMARY:** Then, with hearing that particular voice speak those words, he felt content. And he knew that no one else would have made it sound so good.

**DISCLAIMER: **Not mine.

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**No One Else**

Kyouya dipped his body on the warm water of the tub, water splashing slightly on the floor. His body was at sore--working to manage one whole company was indeed very tiring that his muscles began to stiffen of its own accord as he sat for a whole day behind his computer, inside his dull work office. An onsen would have been better, but it would be more tiring to travel any further than it already was.

Plus, a wife scrubbing your hair with shampoo was too much to resist.

"Aki," he spoke, his voice reverberating across the bathroom walls with soothing warmth and affection.

"Hm?" she asked as she scoured his ears clean with her thumbs.

"Nothing."

He enjoyed the way her fingers moved and massaged every bit of his skull. It was comforting--relaxing. And the headache he had gotten from work was finally going away, emptying his mind and filling it with thoughts of Aki at the same time.

"Thank you."

"Suddenly for what?"

_For being here with me._

_For being my home._

_For being there by the door, welcoming me with your warm smile._

_For being my everything._

_For easing every pain away._

"Ootori Kyouya," she suddenly said as she stopped her hands and fisted a couple of his hair.

"What is it, Ootori Aki?" he questioned her as he relaxed further on the water, a smile making its obvious way on his lips.

"You're doing it again."

"Which one?"

She shrugged as she continued to scrub his head more roughly. "Being such a dramatic husband."

"Dramatic?" he faked an incredulous voice as his smile widened. "Ootori men are never dramatic."

He liked these kinds of conversations that they would unexpectedly come up with. Speaking like this with her simply made him feel warm inside--as if nothing else could ever make him feel like this if it wasn't her.

He couldn't remember when he fell in love with this girl, but he was glad he did. No one else could have understood how to tolerate his manipulative character. No one else would have learned how to bear with his waking-up issues. No one else could have made him feel warm inside. No one else could have done all of that. It was only Aki. And it would always be her.

She scoffed playfully as she took hold of the shower spray, and washed the foam and bubbles away from his hair.

"Aki?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"Never dramatic, huh?"

She planted a soft kiss against his clean temple and smiled. "I love you too."

Then, with hearing that particular voice speak those words, he felt content. And he knew that no one else would have made it sound so good.

---

**end**

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	3. a s s u r a n c e

**Assurance**

**A/N:** Taking a short break on my math homework. Been working on it since last night. See? Can't even construct a complete sentence. Totally drained. Screw with those pathetic sines and cosines and whatever value they correspond with. At least FFnet unwinds me a bit. Please enjoy. Impromptu. Sort of like: I'm taking a short break. Gonna write. Gonna write. Unbeta-ed. So I apologize for the errors.

**Disclaimer:** Kyouya challenged me on a math quiz to know if I really do deserve him. I took it he knows my weakness and is therefore taking advantage of it. Poor me. Has to work harder to win him back.

-+-

It never really was something he wanted in the first place. He was happy about their relationship and engaging himself into marriage was far back on his mind. It was simply out of his plans.

Not that he didn't want her, oh no. No one could even compare how crazy he was with her mere presence. And if anyone knew about how Aki drives him insane, it would be his greatest downfall.

She was flipping through a magazine across him with her legs crossed and her one of her eyebrows disappearing dangerously under the bangs of her chestnut hair. And Kyouya wondered what kind of stuff that made her raise her brow on a popular wedding magazine. They were having an appointment with their wedding planner and she was going impatient once again. Hey, it was her idea of a marriage on the first place anyway.

Kyouya never fully admitted that he ever understood her. Her brain was like a storm. Very unpredictable indeed that sometimes would simply unnerve him to his senses and he would restrain from banging his head against the polished surface of his office table. One moment she would act so sweet, cute and innocent and the next thing he knew, her eyes would almost meet and she would mutter under her breath, something his ears could not even comprehend.

Nonetheless, he was in love with her.

He never really knew when. Partly maybe, that moment when he saw her cleavage that night of their company's anniversary party and her family was invited. And heck, he would never let her know that in case he wanted a death sentence.

No, really. Honestly speaking, it simply came out of the blue. He came with an intention of flirting, and then gaining some profit with their connection, but he did not realize that gradually, she was capturing his heart.

And hell, he was liking every moment of it.

He pulled out his computer and propped it on his lap as he switched the power on. Aki noticed this and threw the magazine on the table with a forceful thud and she crossed her arms across her chest. "What's taking that wedding planner so long?"

Yep, another one of her unreasonable mood swings. Kyouya took a mental note to fire that wedding planner if he was another minute late.

"Just relax," he reminded her as his fingers dance over the keyboard. "At least you have to learn how to wait patiently."

She was a brat and he was fully aware of that.

"You know pretty well that I hate waiting this long."

Kyouya repressed from rolling his eyes. They have been waiting for three minutes in total, after all. It was definitely too long for her own good.

Silence ensued for a couple of moments and he looked up from the computer screen to surprisingly meet her gaze. "Why are you staring?"

"Just wondering." Another sudden switching of mood. Oh, how much longer does he have to endure all of this?

"About what?" He decided to keep up with the talking to alleviate her temper, even just for a while so he wouldn't go crazy.

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. God, she's breath-taking. If Kyouya knew no self control, he would have pushed his laptop away to land with a thud on the flood (who would care about the documents on his hard drive?) and pull her up to him to meet his kiss. How he wanted to do that!

"Do you really love me? Or was it all because of profit?"

How many times had he heard that question again?

"Do I really have to answer that?"

Aki stood up, striding up to him in one swift motion. She pushed his computer gently away, and occupied the space in between his legs as she snaked her fingers around his neck. She loved the scent of him. "Of course, you have to."

She's doing it again. That acting-so-cute-that-makes-his-legs-totally-weak kind of stuff. He had to stop this sooner or later before he would be forced to cut his legs off and have artificial ones as replacements.

Her face nuzzled at the crook of his neck and he found it harder to breathe as she clung exceptionally close. Not that he was new to this, but he wasn't simply used to having your girlfriend act lovey-dovey like this, especially if your heart would jump every time you would feel her touch.

"In our three years together, I have never heard you say 'I love you, Aki.' or 'I'm crazy about you, you make me go mad,' something like that."

Kyouya stifled a chuckle as he buried his nose on her hair. It was the same scent he got used to, and yet it was poisoning his senses like the first time he smelled her.

"Do you want me to say those words?" He smiled against the curtain of her chestnut hair as he toyed with the loose strands that fell from her clip.

"Mn. I was just wondering why you were so different." She was tracing shapes on his shoulder with her index finger affectionately. And damn, her voice sounded so sweet that he wanted to gorge himself with it. "Not like those handsome prince-charmings from movies and fairytales."

Kyouya pulled gently away and sought her eyes. She looked up to him expectantly and he simply planted a soft kiss against her forehead. "I'm Ootori Kyouya, what can I do?"

Aki smiled in response. Right, he was Ootori Kyouya and nothing she would do could ever change that. It was a part of him that she wanted and it was a part of him she had learned to love.

"Right," she nestled back on his shoulder and Kyouya pulled her closer as she continued. "I don't have to hear those words."

Because the mere beating of his heart was an assurance enough to tell her about what her truly felt.

-+-

**A/N:** So, whadd'ya think? /looks up expectantly to the audience/ Kinda fluffy, I know. Like I said, my brain's kinda drained right now so I apologize if it was crappy, which I sorta doubt. I think it turned out fine. Care to leave your opinions? Please do. I appreciate it. So, until then!


	4. c h i l d

Confessions of a Married Man

Chapter Four:

-+-

A/N: An inspiration from Jose Mari Chan's 'I Fell in Love with the Same Woman Three Times' with the particular line, "I fell in love with her the second time...when she first bore her child and mine..." Sayonara, Cory Aquino+

Disclaimer: Kyouya filed me a restraining order so I can't get too near my boyfriend for a short while. Only for a short while. In the meantime, I have an appointment with my psychologists regarding my schizophrenic episodes. /whispers/ Says I'm too disoriented. What's schizophrenia anyway?

-+-

The whole labor room was in a total mayhem as Kyouya shouted instructions to the attending doctors to make their job right. Moments ago, he almost ran the whole hospital down as he knocked the door cold on the floor while rushing over to the side of the gurney.

"Sir," one blonde nurse with a surgical mask spoke. "If you would just leave the room. You're making everybody else panic."

"Excuse me?"

Aki poked her head up to look at the two men who glared at each other, and then, squeezed her husband's hand to stop him from going further. "Kyouya, I'm on labor. Just pretend you didn't hear that."

But Kyouya didn't give up. "I refuse to pretend such ludicrous thing. I own this hospital; you go out of this room."

"Kyo--AH!" Aki grimaced as another gush of pain ran through her spine. She gripped on Kyouya's hand tighter. He instantly softened and turned his gaze back to his wife as the physicians rushed over below.

Kyouya was just about to go his way over an important meeting when his mobile cracked a loud alert and a screaming Fuyumi greeted his eardrums painfully, yelling through the mouthpiece that Aki's water bag just broke. In the midst of his rush to the conference room, he abruptly turned halfway and dashed to the hospital immediately, while yelling instructions to his secretary, who was about to have an early lunch.

Ikuto must have been crazy to be able to tolerate such boss like him but for the sake of his steady salary, which an Ootori Kyouya is known to be good at, he had to learn how to manage.

He's a natural evil. Handsome, rich, smartass, maybe but when it comes to dealing with his personality, expect for the worse. He might even have the devil prostrate himself down before him, actually.

Possible reason why women never lasted on his secretarial job for so long. You'd never want to see yourself take that glorious seat near his office unless you have a death wish.

Panting heavily, Aki pushed further, while yelling Kyouya's name with a curse word after, and clenching his knuckles tighter than before. By the time she yelled for the third, they had turned white and probably by the time they've gotten finished, he wouldn't be able to feel them anymore.

It was perhaps the only time Ootori Kyouya stood there, sweating in tension and anticipation while holding hands with his wife as they waited for their son to come out and greet them.

Those nine months had been real torture for Kyouya. Mood swings would come here and there, unusual cravings that cut his total sleeping hours further in half, gaining him darker circles under his eyes that were barely even noticeable, and sometimes, he'd have to sleep in another room because Aki kicked him out of the bed because "he was too fidgety" when in fact, he wasn't even moving a muscle. He had to tolerate all of it. FOR NINE MONTHS.

But the seed he had worked hard for, the sweat he (or the sweat of his workers rather--that he had to send off to go get Aki's unusual cravings) had shed, and the nights he had sacrificed, would bear a beautiful fruit at the end of the day.

The whole room, that was silent for a split-second, was broken with a shrill little voice that had them smile in sated happiness.

Aki closed her heavily-lidded eyes, while listening to the soft cries of her son. Hers and Kyouya's son. Their first born.

She was spent, tired, and dead beat but the mere voice of her child would have eased all the pain. She felt good, happy, and content--those, which only a mother would feel.

Kyouya, in spite of the numbness of his left hand, reached out to carry his child; a smile painted on his lips as he bent down so Aki could touch him.

"He's finally here," he whispered on her ear as his other hand ran over her face to wipe drops of sweat off and push a stray lock of hair away. He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "He's here. We're now a family."

---

Tamaki was muttering his usual antics: about to whom little Kyosuke got his good looks (from him, of course), to where the baptism would be held and who would be the godmothers and fathers of the child...'ya know, nothing exceptionally new. Haruhi, Hani-senpai and the twins encircled the bed while admiring the sleeping little boy who felt secured around Aki's arms.

"He looks more like you," Haruhi commented with a smile and the twins agreed with a devious grin.

"Maybe Kyouya-senpai's genes were always so weak then?" they chorused while sniggering devilishly and Aki smiled in response.

Thank God Kyouya was away for a cup of hot coffee.

"Is he going to eat cake with me and Bun-bun?" Hani-senpai piped in and Mori-senpai grunted a soft 'hn' before Aki spoke with another smile.

"Of course he'll be willing to eat cake. Especially with a strawberry on top."

"Yum!"

"Not if he'd pour gravy all over the icing," Kyouya had reentered the room and budged in the conversation. He shivered at the thought of remembering Aki pouring bottles of gravy all over her strawberry cakes. It was gross.

"Visiting hours are over--and Tamaki, don't eat that: it's a rose. You're stressing Kyosuke too much."

"Bah, Kyouya. You're an over-protective killjoy of a father."

Several grunts of disapproval and complaints later, Kyouya managed to push them all out of the suite with no sweat.

"You really shouldn't mingle with those people. Such pain," he muttered under his breath while locking the door in place. He turned back to her with a smirk tugging playfully on the corners of his lips.

"What?"

He strode on the bed and plopped on the cushion. "I heard that."

Confused, Aki raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "What?"

"That my genes weren't as dominant as yours?"

The corners of Aki's lips threatened to kick a smile. "So?"

With a smirk, Kyouya jumped in the bed and leaned in to press in forehead against hers, careful not to crush their little boy. "Want to prove them wrong?"

She snickered childishly and smacked him lightly on the head. "Idiot."

It was another world full of a lot more different feelings. Kyouya had never seen himself as happy as he was before, even when this particular girl he had fallen in love with had given her "I do." in front of the altar, no. It was a lot more different, yet a lot better. An unidentifiable sort of bliss that money and profit wouldn't even be able to replace with.

And as Kyouya leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his son's forehead, he knew that it was happiness, in which reasons words could never be able to get to explain.

-+-

A/N: Review? If you would just scroll down, the little button just below this paragraph needs your utmost attention.

Another A/N: Oh yeah, just a little trivia here: It's a formal procedure for doctors to spank a newly born so the child would cry. Because then, an infant learns how to breath. Not just because the doctor is a sadist and simply wants to hurt a poor, defenseless newborn. NO. If the child doesn't cry, it would result to a shortage of oxygen to the brain that would eventually lead to certain abnormalities such as autism. I wanted to say this because I've read a certain fic before (can't remember the title) wherein the child didn't cry until Tamaki came to make him do so. THAT IS WRONG. It just bothers me, so yeah. Shutting up now. LEAVE A REVIEW!


	5. w a k i n g u p i s s u e s

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**Wake-Up Issues**

**Disclaimer: **The author of this story has no intention of copyright infringement. This is fanfiction and the author is merely satisfying her fangirl antics by placing her favorite bishie on a story of her own. She's begging you. Do not sue her!

---

The clock read 7:30 in the morning.

The alarm clock beeped dangerously, its sound bouncing off the walls of the silent room. It quieted for a couple of minutes and then, as if in a ritual, started to kick off again.

"Kyouya," Aki groaned as she poked her husband by the shoulder, making a futile attempt to wake him up.

Her husband merely grunted as he shifted position and faced her, wrapping a large arm over her slender hips.

He's been asleep for two hours in total. Last night was a total pain, as he tried to finish skimming about a thousand-page report about the merger deal he was closing in with the Yamasaki Group of Companies. How it reached a thousand pages was a mystery to him and he still has a half-way to go.

"You still have a plane to catch," his wife complained as she tried to push him off. He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, as he buried his head at the crook of his wife's neck. He's meeting the board of companies in China this afternoon and he'd be back by dawn. His schedule is too tight to even find proper time to sleep.

"Five minutes more," he whined and blew a kiss on the soft skin on her bare shoulder.

He went back to sleep.

---

The clock read 8:12 in the morning.

She pushed him off rather harshly as she tossed the sheets away, discarding them on the floor.

Sitting cross-legged beside a snoring husband, Aki leaned forward and pinched his nose experimentally. She learned on their honeymoon that it was one spot that Ootori Kyouya was ticklish. He recoiled, as clasped his hands securely over his nose, protecting it from any further harm. Yet, his eyes were closed all the while.

---

The clock read 8:27 in the morning.

Aki kicked his butt while trying to push him off the bed.

"Ootori Kyouya! I'm going to strip you and expose you to the chair members if you don't get yourself off the bed at the count of ten!"

She crossed her arms stubbornly and eyed him in anger. Waking him up is such a pain in the ass ever since they've been married. His being obsessive compulsive is also one good reason to turn a girl off. She was blinded by his oh so handsome face in their first meeting that she gave away so easily. Darn how charming he looked on that suit like he was a god of some sort, incomparable to any other bachelors on that party.

She knew not when but she just fell in love. Love is indeed, blind and it's a hassle on her part.

. . .

. .

.

"You don't have enough time left, mister!"

Kyouya stirred.

Glare of Death. *censored*

Aki dashed out of their room while clutching her chest, trying hard to get her soul back to her body.

---

The clock read 9:40 in the morning.

Kyouya missed his flight and Tachibana phoned the chair members to cancel the meeting and move it way later in the afternoon.

Aki sighed in disbelief and closed the door behind her. Marrying a low blood pressure demon lord is such a great misfortune for such young maiden like her. Lucky her wrinkles weren't showing as soon as they're supposed to expose themselves out in public. She's only twenty-nine.

"Kyouya," she spoke when she reached the side of their bed.

"Ngh..."

"Scoot over. I'm drained already."

Kyouya moved to one side of the bed obediently and Aki occupied the empty space beside him. She pulled the sheets up to her shoulders and Kyouya snuggled comfortably.

"Kyosuke's still asleep and he scared off his nurses. You're right about the genes stuff. I hate you."

"Ngh..."

A couple of minutes later, Aki had drifted back to sleep.

---

A/N: It's hard to imagine Kyouya's Glare of Death because the mere thought of it makes my heart stop. I might even die because of it. Well, it's the usual Kyouya, of course. I guess no one could ever tolerate his low blood pressure in the morning that you just have to ride with it because you don't have any other choice. My mom is like that too. And so am I (sometimes) when I wake up with a severe headache or because my siblings are so loud. Although at times, I wake up in a good mood. It depends, I think. Anyways, please do leave a review.


	6. c h e a t i n g i s a d e a d l y s i n

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**BY: MYLiFE'SBOAT**

**It belongs to someone else. Don't blame me.**

**Unbeta-ed.**

A/N: And so, I have updated. Amidst the pressures I'm putting onto myself for the contest I so badly want to join, I have updated.

Summary: Love is like diamonds. Both last forever.

* * *

Cheating, Kyouya mused, is a deadly sin. For one, his wife would kill him if she found out. Second, he'd burn in hell because of it. That is, after his wife kills him.

But this isn't cheating at all, he told himself, as he aimed a smile to the woman standing beside the buffet table. She was beautiful, a model, perhaps? She looked Hispanic, probably Brazilian? Kyouya contemplated on how much foreign blood she had. Blond hair, cerulean eyes, long legs and oh-good-god, perfect effeminate curves. They were sinful, he had to admit. Maybe she had no Japanese blood at all—highly likely.

The woman aimed a smile back, exposing pearl white teeth. Hm, dashing.

I'm not cheating at all, Kyouya thought as he grabbed a flute of sparkling water to the passing waiter. He decided to make a step forward; the smile still evident as he approached.

"How are you enjoying the party?" he asked while handing the glass over. She took it and sniffed the champagne quietly before speaking.

"How long have you been married?" she asked while pressing the glass to her lips.

Kyouya was taken aback, though only for a while; he recovered soon enough.

"Oh, this?" He lifted his hand up and aimed a glimpse at the platinum band that embraced his ring finger. He stared at it with astonishment, he looked as if he was wondering why it has been there. "How can you say that this is a wedding ring?"

"I've seen a lot of your types before," she told him while draining her glass. A waiter passed and she grabbed another one.

"It could have been just an ancestral ring, for all you know," Kyouya suggested.

She chuckled, bemused. She looked at him in the eyes and said, "Don't worry. I don't mind."

Cheating is a deadly sin. Adultery is somewhat deadlier. Either way, he's going to hell.

* * *

He was guilty and he knew it. Guilt, be damned.

Aki sat across him on the couch, knitting a pair of mittens. They were settled in the living room and Kyouya watched her, guilt clawing him painfully, conscience swallowing him whole. He felt heavy—like he was carrying a ton of bricks with his pinky finger: heavy and tormenting.

He loves Aki—probably more that what he can explain, probably more than how much he can show. While loving Aki is one thing, lusting for someone else is another. Lust is like chocolate: it melts; love is like diamonds: they don't. Kyouya have given Aki the best diamonds she deserved.

He just wanted to taste chocolate, that's all. A different brand of chocolate. Even if Aki was ambrosia, he still needed supplements.

Sometimes, I can't explain how your mind works, bastard. What the hell is with the chocolate?

"Aki," he spoke breathlessly. He didn't even realize he was holding it in. "I'm cheating on you."

It takes a lot of guts to spill your beans.

"What?" she peered through her reading glasses. She wrinkled her nose and ignored his statement. The words didn't quite sink in. "Hey, what do you think about the color? I think red is better. But blue is fine . . . though I think red looks best on you. Which color do you want?"

"Red."

"Oh, red it is!"

"Were you listening to me?"

"I'm sorry, hun. What were you saying again?"

"I'm cheating on you."

Aki looked up. She blinked once. "Cheating?"

". . ."

"Wait here."

She pushed herself up placed the half-woven mittens on the coffee table. Aki disappeared momentarily and before Kyouya became aware of it, she reappeared, her face—furious might be an understatement. A shotgun was perched on her arms and Kyouya stiffened on his seat.

"Aki, let's not be childish . . ."

"You damn, bastard! What did you say? Who was she? Bigger boobs? Longer legs? TELL ME, OOTORI KYOUYA!"

Click.

Kyouya swallowed. HARD. "Where did you get that? Since when were firearms made legal here?"

"If I'm going to prison, don't worry about me! You're going to hell!"

"Aki, calm down. Let's settle this quietly." He was starting to panic. "And calmly."

"Oh, I'm calm. I'll calmly pull the trigger and blow up your balls you fucking piece of shit!"

Okay, that was a bit overboard.

After a few more of her verbal attacks, she had settled down quietly and with much luck, Kyouya was still alive after a warning shot that missed his toes for only a quarter of a millimeter.

Thank Kami-sama.

* * *

She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers fiddling with the newly washed sheets. They smelled of fabric conditioner, she noticed, and Aki wondered when the servants have changed them. Probably when they were downstairs, her knitting as her husband watched. Probably.

He sat on the other edge, contemplating the silence. Kyouya was uncomfortable with it. He kicked off his slippers and slipped under the blanket. They were surprisingly cold. Even the room temperature, he observed, seemed to drop to a few degrees colder.

Silence was consumed and Aki first broke it. "I'm sorry I almost shot your balls."

Kyouya stared at the ceiling, intent to stare up at it forever. He didn't want to look at her face or her eyes. He would probably die. He remained quiet. The sheets rustled and Aki lay down beside him.

There was silence again.

"Is it my fault?" she asked, her eyes too, fixed on the ceiling.

"No."

_So, it was your fault, bastard. It's all your fault, you moron._

"Divorce is a big issue." It was a statement rather than a question.

"I know," he said. "And a lot of money too."

Another long silence.

Finally, Kyouya spoke. "I'm sorry, Aki."

"You should be."

Did you love her? How many times did you make love? How were you feeling when you held her in your arms? When you held me? These were the questions she was afraid to ask because she was scared of what she might hear from him. They were stuck on her throat that she couldn't breathe right.

"Can we work this out?" Kyouya asked in solemnity.

"I don't know," she told him.

"I need you," he said.

_I need every bit of you. Every single thing about you gives me the reason to live._

"Me too."

"Then please don't leave," he asked. He knew he was imposing too much. Kyouya sought her hand under the sheets and gave it a squeeze. She didn't pull it away.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice quiet and sincere. It was warm and just Kyouya—no pretenses, no fake smiles, no arrogant smirks—just plainly and simply Kyouya.

Aki warmed her hand with his.

Love is like diamonds. Both last forever.

* * *

**END**

A/N (Post typing): I got lazy when I remembered it wasn't there, the reason why it's here now: (not much important but readers might ask) The first part was at a business party of one of the company's stockholders. For some reason, Aki excused herself and refused to go with him. Somehow, she was at fault here. If she was there, Kyouya-cheating-on-her would not have started in the first place. Oh well, that's life baby and we have to get along with it nicely if we want to survive in one whole piece.

Reviews are appreciated, guys! Thanks a lot. And wish me best luck on the contest. I only have seven days left until submission. Probably less because it's the holidays and I have other plans. Dammit. Procrastination at this point is so un-cool.


	7. t h e c u r e

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**BY: MYLiFE'SBOAT**

Kyouya is not mine.

**Author's Note:** Chapter 6 is rather amusing, ain't it?

. . . . .

There were hardly a few things that eluded Ootori Kyouya's wide vocabulary. Perhaps just a small number of things and barely any people involved. He was a person known very much for reading people's minds. He was rather popular for it—and feared, to add to that. Apart maybe from Aki, who at times can be very vague and beyond anyone's comprehension, he is one of those things—one of those things that confounded him, one of those people that made him feel like he had brain size of a peanut.

Yes, _him_. He wondered much how a small creature—this tiny (and cute) creature he called his son—could bring him so much stress, just thinking about what this puny child is thinking.

He remembered a few years ago that one time when he was awoken by a loud cries his son made in the middle of the night. He had a long day that afternoon in the office—as usual—and something that wakes him up amidst his slumber would receive a one-way ticket to hell. He nudged Aki on the shoulder to wake her up but his wife merely grunted a 'hn' and went back to sleep. With a vein popping on his temple, he pushed the sheets off and made his way to his son's room.

"Don't cry, brat," he muttered quietly as proceeded over the blue crib. The small child's cries grew louder as he approached and Kyouya's vein went more pronounced. He took a mental note to stop Aki from making decisions such as not hiring a nanny for the child because she wanted a hands-on job for their first baby.

He rummaged the storage for a bottle and Kyouya prepared for the formula. As soon as the nipple made its way to Kyosuke's lips, he supped it quietly and his sobs abated. He was about to kiss his son 'good night' when the brat suddenly pulled the bottle out of his mouth and threw it to his forehead. A bump made its way through. He ended up carrying the child in his arms and cooing him back to sleep.

If the picture of him cooing a child back to sleep would leak out to the press, it would be the company's end. Probably Ootori Kyouya's end too. He could see the newspaper headline with his name on front page.

OOTORI KYOUYA, THE HEARTLESS THIRD HEIR, BASTARD OF THE OOTORI GROUP OF COMPANIES, LOSING HIS TOUCH?

Oh, yes. He would probably lose his pride and dignity for that. Dealing with children is a woman's job. Not a man's. It was simply not masculine. Men are supposed to be dealing with business and not—definitely not—nursing children in the middle of the night.

The first incident, the Kyosuke-keeping-him-awake-at-two-in-the-morning incident, did not however stop there. There were more nights that followed and he found himself catching a few minutes of sleep in his office the morning after. He thought that right after Aki's pregnancy, he would have more nights to keep for himself. He definitely thought wrong. Having a child only worsened his insomnia and here he was, thinking he already found a cure.

His condition however, made a huge turn when Kyosuke turned three when the child already had enough presence of mind not to find the most inappropriate moments to cry. There were also at times when Kyosuke knew well how to make him feel better. Such as that day he went back from the office, tired and much spent after taking care of the problems in the company. With just Kyosuke's single look—with just a single smile, his fatigue flew out of the window. His son wrapped his small arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheeks while saying, "Welcome home, Papa."

And that time when he went back from work and his son greeted him with a paper held up between his small fingers. The paper was smeared with different-colored shapes—crooked circles and wavy lines. Kyouya bent down to take the picture from his son's hands. Aki was a few feet away from them, observing.

"What a nice portrayal of a rainbow," Kyouya complimented with a smile. He reached out to grab his son's face and Kyouya dropped a kiss on his forehead.

"That's not a rainbow, Papa."

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrow in question, wondering what the picture should actually be. Out of the corner of his eye, he could perceive Aki's smirk.

"It's us," Kyosuke explained to him patiently. Well, that kinda took Kyouya aback. His son stretched his arms to touch his drawing. "This is me and Mama." He pointed at the two bent circles (oh, so they were stick drawings) with a some kind of an oblong on top which what Kyouya deduced as a bob of red hair. "And this is you." Kyouya followed his index finger to a dark-haired stick man with a pair of rounded glasses.

"Really? That's us?" Kyouya asked, amused. He'd forgotten the sore muscles on his back and his stinging, bloodshot eyes.

"Yes," Kyosuke told him, his voice laced with childish irritation.

He chuckled knowingly and Aki approached them both. She dropped a kiss on Kyouya's forehead. "Welcome home."

Despite his stress from the work in the office, despite the exhaustion, getting home—even as his legs almost gave up with fatigue—having them was worth it. His family was the only thing that gave his life meaning.

He takes it back. Kyosuke was his cure. Add Aki to the package and nothing gets worse.

. . . . .

_Review this too, okay?_


	8. t h e o t h e r s i d e

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**The Other Side of the Plate**

BY: MYLiFE'SBOAT

Disclaimer: Kyouya isn't mine.

. . . . .

Saturday, Father-and-Son Day. The day when Kyouya would rather be back home to play indoor games (meaning, bowling and soccer, that is—you get the idea) with his son than be stuck at some tacky theater, with its foundation slowly threatening to give away (c/o Aki's suggestion over large, bulgy eyes—she threatened him via 'you-will-camp-outside-for-a-whole-week look and with a dangerous smirk). They had a theater at home, for goodness' sake! It has more class, it was more equipped and as compared to this cinema with empty popcorn tumblers crushed on the floor and with nasty-smelling substance wafting nearby, theirs was a lot bigger and more shipshape.

That should be the most terrible Saturday, Father-and-Son Day he has ever faced. It was worse than his father in the morning. Kyosuke was devastated (traumatized) with the experience as well and he agreed with his father that they conspire and not follow Aki's (and Fuyumi's—Kyouya's sister drops by to plot something extraordinary with his wife—and Tamaki's—don't ask) ideas then on. They both agreed not to tell anyone about it and Tachibana cooperated. Their next Saturdays included dropping by Uncle Kaoru's house to play with his twins, Lia and Beth instead of watching a live basketball game. Sometimes they would also stop off Karuizawa for Haruhi and Ranka-san and on some occasions, fly secretly to Hong Kong for shopping.

Kyouya has gotten used to it by now and he always sees to it that he would never miss any Saturday with his son.

"How do I look?" he asked her as Kyouya readjusted the lapels of his jacket. He had folded his sleeves mid-arm and he certainly didn't look like a thirty-seven year old married man with a five-year-old son. He appeared like a hunk model in his mid-twenties. Aki liked that about him.

"You look gorgeous today, Kyouya," she complimented while stopping momentarily to take in Kyouya's muscular physique. Even as he'd been busy with work and with them, he never failed an hour or two in the gym. He even had the third floor be renovated to a mini-gym with a sauna and a massage room. All these luxuries covered mostly two-thirds of the floor.

That bastard.

"Where's Kyosuke?" he asked as he made his way to the bed where a weekend bag sat on it. Aki stuffed her clothes carelessly inside. "Is he dressed? What are you doing?"

His wife wrenched a pair of undergarments from his hands and shoved them in. She snapped him a look, as if reprimanding a child. Kyouya aimed her a guilty look. "You've forgotten, didn't you?"

"I didn't," he told her quickly, defensively. "It's Saturday. I had Garcia move the board meeting to Monday. Where's Kyosuke?"

"Kyouya, I thought we already talked about this?" Aki zipped her bag close. She sat on the bed and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Yes, we talked about it and I already told you, I'm not cancelling the Father-and-Son Day because of that." His voice was firm and final. Aki frowned.

"But Kyouya—"

"No."

"We can move it next Sunday. That way, you can have Kyosuke for the whole weekend. How's that?"

"No. It's a Family Day Sunday. I won't ruin our schedule because of him."

"Kyouya," she regarded him with a quiet face, telling him that she didn't want to argue with the issue any further.

Aki knew his husband has never been in good terms with her brother—not when Suuichi found out that his all time college mate rival was engaged to his own sister. But how many years has it been—twelve years, fourteen? Their relationship seemed timeless. She had struggled to throw water to the fire but they supplied more gasoline.

"You know pretty well how much your brother treats me," Kyouya told her while sitting beside her on the bed. "You don't want me to kill him in front of our son."

"Kyouya," Aki started, facing him. "There will be no bloodshed. It's his birthday and we do this every year—" "—you do it every year." "—and you know, mom and dad will be there. It's been a while since Kyosuke saw his grandparents."

"He sees my father everyday," he pointed out. "And you know that's not my point. It's Father-and-Son Day today and it requires no rescheduling."

"Hm." Aki cocked her head and stopped for a moment, contemplating. "You can still have your Father-and-Son Day in the ranch. There are horses there, you know. You promised your son that you'd teach him horse-riding, didn't you? It's the perfect opportunity."

_Damn. We've already decided to fly to Taiwan to watch a movie premier with Hikaru this afternoon._

"I won't see your brother, much less act lovey-dovey towards that guy."

_Guess I have to tell Hikaru to cancel my reservation._

. . . . .

"What's this man doing here?" Suuichi didn't bother to hide the irritation on his voice as he carried his nephew up in an embrace. Kyosuke wrapped his small arms around his uncle's neck.

"Oniisan," Aki started, breaking the pressure that built up. Kyouya's arms were crossed across his chest as he leaned against a tall, wooden, post. "He's my husband."

"I don't care," he retorted stubbornly. "He's not allowed within my twenty-meter radius, Aki. I swear there'll be bloodshed."

Kyouya's glasses glinted under the light. He spoke for the first time since they arrived. "Don't test my patience, Suuichi."

"Oh, yeah—" Kyosuke wailed when his uncle leaned in and he lost balance. "—you damn four-eyed-monster!"

"Stop it!"

This was from Kyosuke, his arms stretching as if trying to stop them from inflicting each other physical harm.

"This is ridiculous," the small boy continued, his eyebrows almost touching together in a one, straight line. "You two!" He pointed at the two men. "Don't bicker like small kids. Gosh, you're even older than me."

He gave them a desperate look. His mother watched amusedly.

Aki giggled uncontrollably, while walking up to her brother to take her son in her arms. "Haha!" Tears blurred her vision. "I'll take Kyosuke inside. You two should talk and be lovey-dovey. Hahaha! You heard the child. Hahahaha! Seriously! Haha—"

The last the two men heard before she disappeared behind the front door was a faint fit of laughter and her 'Good job!' appraisal to her own son. Kyouya rolled his eyes and grunted. Suuichi gave him a dire look.

"Fuck you, man." He gave Kyouya a dirty finger. "Shut off. I'll find a way for you and Aki to divorce, you bastard."

"Just because you were magna cum laude—second to me—doesn't mean it gives you right to hate me," Kyouya told him matter-of-factly. Suuichi twitched.

"Go to hell!"

"Get over it." Kyouya walked past him, shutting the door behind and leaving Suuichi dumbfounded and completely and utterly lost.

. . . . .

"How did it go?" Aki asked as Kyouya slipped inside her previous quarters—her room before she moved into his apartment before the engagement. The purchased a house uptown after the marriage with their shared bank account.

Kyouya collapsed on the bed beside his son, who was trying to solve his five by five Rubik's cube. He sniffed his son's arm before he spoke. "Just the usual. He cursed. I was patient."

"You should sort that out. You're family now."

"Believe me, it won't happen with your brother's severe case of inferiority complex." He draped an arm over his eyes. "I'm not killing him because of you and our son."

"Hm. But you look cute when you bicker. Doesn't that mean you're close?"

"Give me a favor and don't ever say the word 'cute' in front of your son again." Kyosuke chuckled and dropped a kiss on his father's forehead.

"But you look cute, dad."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"And one more thing," Kyouya continued. "Remind me not to listen to you regarding your brother's birthday again."

"It won't happen." Aki flopped down beside him.

"Oh, for the love of god."

"Dad, can you buy me a helicopter?"

"I'll think about—"

"No."

. . . . .

_Review._


	9. s e l f c o n t r o l

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**BY: MYLiFE'SBOAT**

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

Unedited.

**

* * *

**

Kyouya sat on the leather chair of his handsome office, his eyes on the spreadsheet on his computer screen while his mind flew someplace else. He'd been distracted for the last two hours he's been there, finishing double-shot espresso within the last half-hour. He hadn't slept so well the previous night, in fact, he hadn't even slept at all, dammit.

He couldn't remember how many times he shouted that day. He remembered he shouted at a lot of people, from Tachibana, to the poor maid who served him coffee that morning, to his secretary the moment he reached the floor of his office, to everyone else he found it proper to shout at. Maybe because he literally just got up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe because the morning was just that bad for him to handle. Or maybe because he was on dope. The employees on the same floor couldn't be too sure. They didn't want to presume so much in case their boss had hidden CTV cameras and audio equipments installed somewhere.

Or maybe because Aki and Touya were both away for four days already (and will be away for the next three days) for a photography convention overseas. That's it. No more allowing Aki to bring Touya along. Having her away gave him enough stress. Having them both away was simply too much to handle.

Kyouya leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes after killing the power of his computer without bothering to save his work. He rubbed his temples grudgingly, thinking of some plan to get to them before he goes virtually insane. As far as he could remember, the longest he'd been away from his wife was three days before he gave up the mountain of workload in the office to fly halfway across to the world just to see her. He knew it was crazy but what can he do? He missed her goddammit! And now, the with Touya in the club, it was twice the struggle. Both of them were intentionally dragging him out of sanity.

Making up his mind, he snatched his mobile from his breast pocket and fiddled the buttons lightly before punching Aki's number on speed dial. She answered on the first ring, "No, Kyouya. Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't even saying anything yet," he pointed out amusedly.

"I already knew what you were thinking," she told him. Kyouya heard a rustling of sheets in the background, followed by a small, familiar voice, asking for ice cream. Kyouya smiled. She pulled the receiver a few inches away from her face (though unnecessary) and spoke to Touya, "Go back to sleep, honey. Papa'll call in the morning."

"Did I wake you up?" he asked after she got back on the phone. He felt the need to hear it from her.

"Considering it's in the middle of the night, no Kyouya, you didn't wake me up."

Kyouya pursed his lips, contemplating the sound of her voice. "Really?"

She sounded fully awake. "No."

"I knew you couldn't sleep properly either," he said with a playful smile. It reached his eyes. "Should I go there?"

"No," Aki answered quickly. "There's no need."

There was a short, lingering pause before she continued. "Consider this as a way strengthening your self-control."

"I have a lot of self-control," he pointed out.

"Knowing you for more than five years, Kyouya, I highly doubt it," she opposed.

"You know I only lose it when both of you're involved," he admitted.

Aki deliberated his words, only to find herself chuckling after a few seconds passed. It was one thing she would probably not get used to about Kyouya. Sometimes, he can be really, really tacky yet passionate at the same time. It was somewhat weird, but she liked that about him: he gave another unique meaning to what was weird.

"We'll probably fly back to Tokyo this morning," she told him. "Touya misses you a lot too."

"How about the convention?"

"Finished a day ago," she spoke as if she were stating general knowledge. "I actually planned the next three days for shopping and Mother-and-Son bonding galore but we give up. We miss you."

"Should I be happy that you missed me or should I be upset that you lied about the convention being a week's length at most?"

"You should be happy," Aki suggested with a smile. Kyouya propped his feet on top of the table and pushed a button on the speakers of his music player. He turned the volume to mellow.

"Are you listening to Beatles' classics?" Aki asked upon hearing the soft melody over the other end of the line.

"Hm?" Kyouya had closed his eyes. "They make me think about you."

"What made you say so?" Aki had almost forgotten sleep. She missed him this much.

"Hm, you're ancient?"

"Didn't you presume I would find that offending?"

"No," he said. "What I was trying to say is that, you're timeless . . . very uncommon."

"That sounded creepy, coming from your own mouth."

The door of Kyouya's office opened and his secretary poked her head inside.

"Just admit it, you just can't get enough of me."

"What you just said, you man, are the most disturbing words I have ever heard in my lifetime," Aki heard Garcia say and told Kyouya she agreed with her.

"Garcia," Kyouya regarded, this time, calmly. What a sudden change of sails. This calls for a celebration. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me while I'm working?"

"Sorry, but you're not actually working, Kyouya-san," Garcia pointed out. "You have a lunch date with Kobayashi."

"I'll be there," he assured her. "Now, go away."

"Two minutes," she reminded him while holding up two fingers. She disappeared behind the office door.

"If I were Garcia," Aki started when Kyouya turned his attention back to her. "I'd fire you."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Kyouya said. "But that's not the case."

"I know, damn." There was a moment's silence before Aki continued. "You should go. You don't want to be late."

"Yeah," Kyouya agreed with a brief nod. "I don't. I'll call you later. Try to sleep, okay?"

"I'll sleep," she assured him. I already heard your voice. "Good afternoon, hun."

"Good night." He smiled. He heard a loud knock on the door and knew it was a warning from Garcia. "Hold Touya for me. I love you both."

"I love you too."

The line clicked and Kyouya stood up from his chair. He shoved his mobile back on his pocket and grabbed his coat from the arm of his chair. He headed for the door.

The employees on the same floor watched his every move as their boss, the Demon in the Flesh, slipped out of his office, aimed Garcia some instructions with a smile on his face, and strode to the elevator while humming the Mentos' tune. When he was out of sight, the department supervisor, Akanishi Miyamoto, caught Garcia's attention and asked, "What's wrong with that guy."

Garcia shrugged unknowingly. "Don t know, must be dope."

"I knew it, he's no better."

"I agree with you."

--  
END

--

Author's Note: Say Kyouya was OOC on the first part, that's fine with me. But a few days ago, I was reading an Astrology book and flipped through Kyouya's sign and found out that Scorpios can be very possessive, obsessive, vengeful and manipulative at times so what can I do? It's what the stars say.


	10. o v e r p r o t e c t i v e d a d s

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**Chapter 10: Confessions of Two Over-Protective Fathers**

By: MYLiFE'SBOAT

**Author's Note:** Cute, short chapter but love it. I'm pretty fond of children and I love Touya and Haruka, teehee.

--

Aki sat on the bed with a large hard-bound novel on her lap, trying to read a few pages of it with the (no) help of Kyouya's eyeglasses. He was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and shooting Aki's reflection, stolen glances through the mirror in front of him. She spoke first.

"Touya kissed a girl today."

Kyouya almost choked on the toothpaste foam. He spat on the basin. "What?"

"He kissed Hikaru's daughter on the cheek after watching her play soccer," she explained. "He even told Haruka she was a great player."

Kyouya rinsed his mouth and grabbed a handtowel nearby, wiping his face with it. He tossed it on the laundry basket before stepping out of the bathroom to join his wife on the bed. She closed the large book with a thud and heaved it up to place it on the bedside table.

"How did the girl react?"

"She blushed."

"Damn," he cussed. "I don't want the Hitachiin's to be our in-laws, Aki. We should do something."

"You're overreacting," Aki told him, almost with a chuckle. "They're just kids."

"But it may be a start," he complained aloud. "We should interfere."

"I don't want you messing up with our son's future," Aki warned while poking a finger against his chest to stress her point. "Especially regarding to women."

"I won't," he promised, a smirk evident on his lips.

"So, can we go sleep now?"

Kyouya cocked his head to one side thoughtfully, his smirk turning to a mischievous sneer. "Touya's turning six in a few months."

"You're implying?"

"It's a good age gap. I'm pretty sure he'll make a good older brother."

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

He groaned audibly, inching closer to her with yet again another devious smile. "Please?"

"But I'd want another boy, if that's the case."

"Yeah, they're low maintenance."

"I agree."

"And I don't need to worry about protecting her from perverts."

"Hm, I agree."

"So, how about it?"

"Don't sleep on the couch. It's a little cramped there," she told him while pulling a pillow from behind her and pressing it to his chest. "Sleep with my pillow. There's a spare room across ours. You can use it tonight."

--

(Over Hikaru's house)

"I heard some rumor around the house," Hikaru started as he sat down on the bed beside his wife who was reading a tall stack of law books, a thick volume of something about constitutional law was sprawled against her legs, as she perused it over her thick glasses.

"Hm, what rumor?"

"About our daughter," he suggested while peering over what she was reading. "And about after soccer practice."

"Oh, that?" Haruhi looked at him. She hauled the heavy cover of her book and close it shut. "Touya kissed our daughter today."

"WHAT?"

"Just on the cheek," Haruhi assured him with an unreassuring shrug. "Kyouya-senpai's son is quite a charmer."

"You do not!" Hikaru had jumped out of the bed. "I'm gonna kill that bastard! I'll file a lawsuit against him for sexual harrassment and he'll rot behind bars! I'll have him sentenced death penalty."

"You're overreacting."

"Haruhi," Hikaru leaned over to clutch her shoulders. He shook her slightly. "Our daughter was violated. She was violated!"

"Oh, shut up," she dismissed him as Haruhi brushed his hands away. She grabbed a pillow and punched it to a comfortable shape and lay her head against it. She pulled the sheets up to her shoulders. "Just go to sleep. It's no big deal."

"How can you be so indifferent regarding this issue?"

"Like I said, it's no big deal."

"Haruhi."

"What?"

"I won't let Haruka marry that boy."

"Who said anything about marriage? Will you just lie down and sleep already?"

"But . . ."

"One more sound and you're out of this room, Hikaru."

"Oh, I'll shut up now."

"Good."

--

A/N II: I love KyoHaru and KyoOC fics but HikaHaru is just as adorable. Watch 'How to be Emo' and 'Big Bouncing Inflatable Green Ball' by nigahiga on Youtube. Their videos had me laughing for hours. You can't miss it. Leave reviews, people. Thanks for keeping up with me.


	11. d i f f e r e n c e s

**Confessions of a Married Man**

**Chapter Eleven**

**-**

Kyouya remembered the first time they met. It was not much of creative first meeting but somehow, he remembered it too well and he could smile at the memory.

Because it was the first time he allowed someone to step on his toes.

It was their company's anniversary party that night. Although he'd seen her before at the same university they attended (she was a freshman and he was a sophomore), they were not properly introduced. He was busy dating upperclassmen then so he didn't pay much attention to the sister of the boy who hated him all his life. He had no idea how their family was invited in, actually. Perhaps his brother's fault; he didn't care. At least they didn't bother him, not yet.

It was three years after, and that night, when he noticed her across the party, he just thought about approaching and giving her his widest smile of all. It could have won the Emmy's and it most certainly won her attention.

It began with a cliché of 'hi' and 'hello.'

"Hi," he said.

"Hello," she said.

She returned his smile and he won a seat on her table. They talked about Marxism after dinner, and how communism would have changed some third world countries for the better. Take a look at China and Korea, perfect examples of communist countries whose economy is better than the rest of Asia. Kyouya learned then from their conversation that she had too much passion to change the world. She was that kind of woman who would protect Blacks and gay rights, who would stand in rallies for justice and such. She was a dangerous venture but perhaps a worthy one nonetheless.

Later that night, the orchestra changed to mellow and he eventually had the opportunity to ask her for a dance. She refused, while giving him a girlish chuckle (a grave crime), but he insisted. The moment they began to waltz on the floor, he started to panic quietly (and calmly) and almost wanted to chicken out.

"I told you I have two left feet," she told him, after stepping on his shoe for the fourth time, after completing just a quarter of the whole song.

"You're doing fine," he assured her with a charming smile while hiding a wince when she stepped on his left toe.

"I think we should stop, Kyouya."

"No, don't worry, I'll guide you." He pulled her closer and held her tight. "Just follow my rhythm: quick, quick, slow. That's right."

After stepping yet again, on another toe, she spoke with a frown. "I really can't do this right. Teach a man to sing and but never teach a woman to dance."

"Well," he began. "I've never heard of that."

"You just did."

They rocked with the music for a while and Kyouya had an idea. At least it would keep her heels from murdering his feet. He stopped and she looked at him with curious eyes.

"Are we going back to our table?"

"Take off your shoes," he ordered politely but she seemed quite taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"Trust me. Just take them off."

After she did, he lifted her up and told her to put her weight flat on her feet and place them on top of his newly-polished wingtips. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from tumbling backwards; the other hand was tight against hers. They danced liked that for two more songs until she told him he looked quite exhausted and she was too heavy for him to carry anymore.

When the party ended, he led her to the parking lot to her car and opened the door for her.

"Well," she started. "I had a great night, thanks."

"Don't mention it," he tipped his head with a smile on his lips.

-

"I wonder why you were so sweet in the past." Aki wondered loudly while sitting beside his husband on the bed. Kyouya was busy flipping albums after he sequestered them from one of the maids who were carrying them downstairs for de-dusting and restoration. "You won't even open the car door for me now."

She pulled a picture from the album he held where the photo featured a happy couple on their first date.

"You stopped being a charming prince after we got married," she reminded him while regarding the photo with a raised eyebrow and a small pout.

"I don't know," he said while leaning over to kiss her temple half-consciously. "Maybe because you caught me red-handed and found out you weren't dating the real Kyouya Ootori. That I was just faking that smile and that charming wink whenever I look at you."

"Oh right, you were just making a very good first impression then."

"Exactly." He gave her a hearty laugh. "Why do you have to be so sharp for noticing that? I always thought you always saw the good in everyone. Besides, I should have deserved an award for that great acting."

"I don't know. You were always different."

"Do you like me being different?"

"I just love you the way you are." She raised her head up quietly to look at him in the eyes. Kyouya noticed the sudden pause and cocked his head to one side as a questioning gesture. Silence followed, filling the empty space.

Aki suddenly jumped. Kyouya almost fell of the bed.

"I just remembered!" she squealed excitedly. Her head made a sharp turn and faced him with large eyes. "It's Tamaki's birthday tomorrow. Have you prepared anything yet?"

"Why would I do something like that?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe because he's your—uh, best friend?"

"I don't have to do anything."

All of a sudden, she grabbed his hands and widened her eyes as if she just had a magnificent discovery that could stop the world from moving. "I have an idea."

Later that day, Kyouya (coerced and black-mailed) found himself greeting his best friend a happy birthday in front of a video camera and with Touya and Aki joining him for a splendid dance number.

As much as he was different, Aki was far worse.

-

_**A/N:**__ Do you think I should develop a plot on this or should I continue just the way it is? The usual drill guys please leave a review. Thanks for keeping with me this far. Oh, and I hope you noticed I changed my penname (I reckon some readers don't give much notice to the writers so correct me if I'm wrong) but I'm still the same person, __**mylife'sboat**__. You guys are all filled with awesomesauce! Oh and, I almost forgot. When is Tamaki's birthday?_


	12. u n r e a s o n a b l e r e a s o n s

Confessions of a Married Man

Chapter 12: Unreasonable Reasons

Disclaimer: Credits for Ouran belongs to Bisco Hatori.

-

Perhaps one of the things Kyouya liked about his investments was the house located uptown, a few kilometers away from his job; especially the bathroom and the drawing room, which was reconstructed to a gym on the third floor. Even if it gave him almost an early death because of the mortgage and the equipment, the result these investments brought to him were still undoubtedly worth it.

Aki often called him a vain bastard but Kyouya didn't mind since he was too guilty to complain. He spent at least two hours in the bathroom, almost half a day in the gym and sometimes influenced Touya to it, and at times, it could be worse. Kyouya often reasoned out that Aki was partly to blame to this but she couldn't find any reason why she became involved. He'd merely shrug, give away a smirk and turn around to walk away like a high school girl who did something mischievous and got away with it.

They stood right next to each other in front of the large mirror inside their enormous bathroom. Aki was brushing her teeth while humming to herself; Kyouya was shaving with a razor blade, even if they were actually just preparing for bed. Aki finished quickly, spat on the basin and rinsed her mouth before turning to her husband.

"Do you really have to do that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do what?" he asked, trying to be clueless.

Aki scoffed and moved away from him to sit on top of the closed lid of the toilet bowl. "Geez, you're such a geek, Kyouya."

He stopped his motions for a while and stared at her reflection in the mirror with utter disbelief. "Did you honestly think I won't get offended upon hearing that?"

She frowned and shook her head. Kyouya gave her a warning look before going back to business.

Kyouya often admired their little moments inside the bathroom together. Even though at times, they seemed like arguing, he finds it sweet and flirty. Like they were flirting indifferently and he gets excited about it. Flirting in a weird kind of way, through Kyouya's version.

"Hey, Geek?" Aki started, while looking at her husband's reflection in the mirror.

"Please stop calling me that," he told her. "If Touya hears you, you won't get away with it."

Aki ignored his threat. "What would you say if I suddenly wanted to go back to work?"

"Work?" he repeated the word and paused for a while. Kyouya put the razor blade down and washed his face with tap water. Aki handed him a face towel and he dabbed himself dry. "I thought we already talked about that before?"

"Yes, I know." She stood up and walked to where Kyouya stood. "But Touya's old enough. I can drive him to school in the morning before going to the University. And then I can pick him up in the afternoon when my classes finish."

Kyouya looked at her as if she grew fins. "You can go back to writing. I can recommend you to a few magazines."

"It's not just about the issue of getting bored," she complained aloud. Aki claimed a step closer so she can wrap her arms around his fairly toned muscles. Her head fell on his chest and Kyouya had to admire Aki's convincing skills. "You know how much I love to teach."

"I know that." He can smell her freshly washed hair. Kyouya was not actually concerned about her passion for teaching. It was much about the college smartasses she would be handling.

Aki was a Literature major at Toudai. After finishing almost all her GE courses under Management, she transferred to the Literature Department instead. Before she met him, she taught at a nearby university and she was happy with her job. She also did part time writing online articles in a national lifestyle magazine. She had a passion for both jobs and Kyouya knew he can never rub it off her, even after they got together and even got married.

"Do you really want to go back to teaching?" he asked, returning her hug and sniffing the flowery scent of her shampoo.

"Yes."

"I'll agree," Kyouya told her. "But only in one condition."

Aki raised her head so she can have a better look at his face. "What is it?"

-

Aki sat leisurely on the couch of the living room and Touya sat beside her with a large tumbler of popcorn on his lap. Whenever Aki would sneak her hand inside, he would scold his mother and push her hand away.

"No!"

Aki tried to hide her smile. Touya made the cutest and funniest things.

"Touya," Aki regarded her son quietly. "You are such a brat."

"I cooked this," he argued. "No touching."

"You should at least share," Aki argued back with a reprimanding look on her face. "Besides, you merely used the equipment in the kitchen and you even asked for my help so you can operate it properly."

Touya pouted and offered the tumbler to her mother.

"That's better."

They were watching a movie on Blue Ray since early that afternoon. Because Touya wasn't feeling well in the morning, he was forced to skip school and he ended up with his mother on the couch in front of the television for almost four hours now.

When Kyouya came home, he found his wife and his son too absorbed in the screen as a horror movie rolled. They didn't bother to look at the newcomer; they didn't even seem to notice. With a knowing smirk, Kyouya crept behind the couch and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"AHH! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

Both jumped in surprise, "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

When the identical screams ended, Aki aimed him a smug look and gave him a good blow at the back of his head with the remote. Touya threw him bits of his popcorn.

"Ow," he groaned loudly while rubbing the sore spot. "That hurt."

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" she told him, still slightly shaken with what just happened. She clutched her chest and waited for her breath to even out. "Anyway, I thought you said you'd be back at four?"

"I bought this." Kyouya pulled a large box from behind him and placed it on top of Aki's lap. The box was wrapped in brown paper and it rattled strangely inside when Aki shook it.

"What's this?" she asked and Touya seemed excited to open the present. Kyouya spoiled the surprise.

"It's a ten-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle," he told them. "It's something I've been working on for the past few days inside the art room and I had Hikaru do me a favor for the print."

"And?" Aki knew there was something more to it and she suspected bad news.

"Didn't you use to enjoy finishing jigsaw puzzles as a hobby?" The innocent smile was there and Aki knew it was for the show.

"Yes," she spoke cautiously. "And?"

"Well, since I figured you're too bored around the house, that's a present for you, just to keep you busy." The smile widened and Aki winced. Even Touya felt the tension. "Finish it in a month or two, I'll allow you to go back to work."

Aki stared at him, eyes wide in incredulity. "I knew I shouldn't have asked you in the first place."

Kyouya narrowed his eyes and pretended he didn't hear anything. "You were saying?"

"I said I hate you!"

"Mama!" Touya interfered quickly.

"Don't worry, honey," Kyouya reassured his son with a pat on the head. "Mama and I are just . . . _flirting_."

"Don't teach him weird stuff."

-

End


	13. s u p p o r t b l a n k e t

Confessions of a Married Man

Chapter 13: Support Blanket

A/N I: Another bribe so if you know who you are, compensate. Now. Lol, kidding. :) 'm not gonna pressure you anymore.

For Kyouya, Aki provided the warmest support blanket. No matter how puny it sounded, or how silly he looked like each time he mentioned it to her, he never minded (as long as Aki never told anyone about it, that is). Not that Aki would let anyone know in the first place. The fact itself (with slight humor behind) was cringe-worthy enough for any normal person to hear. Besides, she considered it as one of her selfish little secrets. Nobody, except for a few selected people (her, included) ever saw Kyouya's soft side after all.

Aki was a very compassionate person and Kyouya was always sure that she was the only worthy woman to be the mother of his child. He was right about that. In fact, he'd always been right about the decision of choosing Aki ever since. Aki smiled too much, and her smiles were the most beautiful sunshine he could ever imagine, and perhaps he could ever see in a lifetime. Of course, Kyouya never said anything overtly (except at times, when he slipped, which did not happen a lot). Sometimes, Kyouya even wondered what made Aki fall for him as much as he did to her. He would never openly admit it to anyone, but he knew he could be a bastard or a real pain in the ass and it always amused him how Aki was able to handle him so far. Kyouya and Fuyumi shared the same thoughts.

Kyouya and Aki understood each other perfectly. They did not need too much words because body language was enough for both of them to understand what the other was trying to say. They've been married for seven years, and true enough, they've memorized each other's language pretty well. Although most married couples they knew had told them that everything else would get boring after a few years of marriage, theirs was a solid proof that such a thing was not true. Marriage, as how Kyouya would put it, was similar to rebirth only, you live a life together with someone else and you stick with each other for the rest of your life.

When Kyouya first felt the small swelling on her left breast while he was molesting her on the kitchen one fine morning, Aki dismissed it and yelled at him, "Get the hell out! I'm cooking!"

Kyouya had already suspected something odd about it and nagged Aki to make her take a mammography soon. Aki assured him nothing was wrong. She felt perfectly fine. Don't worry about me. "Besides," she added with a heavily protesting voice, "I've heard mammography hurts like hell. _You_ do it."

For a few days, Kyouya gave up insisting but after noticing the swelling got slightly bigger, he began to panic. He was raised by doctors and people involved in the medical field and he knew better than to spoil a stubborn wife. Aki, for the sake of humanity and world peace, took the mammography while Kyouya anxiously waited behind the door of the mammography room. It hurt like hell and the results had to be good or she'd murder anyone in the world who wore glasses and had an annoying smirk on his face.

Exactly three days later, the results were out. Kyouya held her hand a little bit too tight. "I'm sorry Mrs. Ootori. The tumor is malignant. You have breast cancer." The doctor paused and checked her chart. She reached over to grab Aki's other hand. Kyouya wanted to push the doctor's hand away. "The sooner we perform the mastectomy, the better."

Aki didn't cry that night. Her head was packed with too many thoughts that tears refused to flow. Later in the evening, she slept beside her son as she held him too close to the point that Touya could barely breathe.

Kyouya didn't go home that night. Instead, he stumbled upon a filthy pub around downtown after he excused himself from his wife and requested Tachibana to bring Aki home. From the time they reached the hospital to the minute they heard the doctor speak, they haven't spoken since. He didn't know what to say.

Kyouya broke down that night. He gave Tamaki a call, but he didn't talk over the phone. He didn't want to talk. Tamaki understood: there was something wrong. He followed Kyouya's GPS and barged in the pub. His best friend was smashed, hunched over a glass of god-knows-how-many-th alcohol and hardly able to walk. Tamaki carried him away, pushed him carelessly on the backseat of his car and drove his way home. He'd never seen Kyouya like this before.

Kyouya cried that night. It was the first time he ever cried, and it was the first time Tamaki saw him cried. Kyouya hardly showed any emotion but that night, Kyouya was wholly exposed for him to see. The barriers were gone and the tears overflowed. He was angry, he wanted to punch someone, he wanted time to stop, and most of all, he was scared. He was scared of losing Aki. He was scared of losing the only person important to him apart from his son. Tamaki heard everything. Later that night, when Kyouya was too exhausted to carry himself, he slept on the floor. Tamaki brought a warm blanket and draped it on Kyouya's shoulders. He finished a whole bottle of brandy before his head hit the granite counter of the bar of his apartment.

The next afternoon, after Kyouya woke up that morning and after reflecting everything that happened, he went home, rushed to find Aki and Touya, held them tight and told them he would never let go. Aki needed him. They needed each other to survive. Touya needed both of them, and Kyouya promised he would protect his home, no matter the odds. He was the head of the family, or in a more technical term, he was their family's foundation. He had to be strong.

"I'm scared," Aki told him, seeking his hand for comfort. They were talking about the medication after their counseling that same afternoon. Drugs won't work. It had to be mastectomy. The tumor was malignant and it was beyond normal size.

The truth is, they were both scared and Aki knew this. But because people were there to push them forward, the host club, Fuyumi, their families, Touya, they both remained strong for them.

"I won't have normal boobs anymore," she whined, trying to ease her tension. "Are you still attracted to me even if I lose one boob?"

Kyouya pursed his lips and feigned a frown, playing along. It has been a while since they had a light conversation like this. It was a relief. "It's a great loss," he said while nodding vigorously. His frown turned to a genuine smile. "But you know, if my wife doesn't mind, I won't mind."

Three months after the mastectomy, after the drug medication and after the post-monitoring, the couple emerged from the doctor's office with identical, bright smiles. Aki was free of cancer anymore.

"You know what," Aki began as they travelled back home the same day. "You were right."

"I'm always right," Kyouya spoke with a smile as he drove his way through the busy street, eyes ahead and focused on the road.

"Thanks for sticking with me. Besides you, I don't know any other person who could be as strong as you are. I knew you were breaking but you remained tough so I can have someone to lean on." Aki reached over to touch his hand, squeezing it. "Thank you."

Kyouya spoke nothing. Instead, he tore his eyes from the road, glanced to his left and quickly glanced back ahead. He didn't want her to see that he was happy to hear that. In fact, he was greatly overwhelmed.

"Kyouya, next time please do me a favor and don't turn your face when you smile. It makes me feel that you're planning on something malicious."

A/N II: Okay, that was tough. Do let me know what you think?


	14. h o m e

**Confessions of a Married Man 14**

_It's not just a house, it was home._

It was not the prettiest house.

When Kyouya first saw it on the brochure, the thought of actually purchasing it never crossed his mind. He had protested heavily-he could remember a smirk, a loud no, a pout-but you can never win an argument against a pregnant woman, he decided. So Aki won.

They were moving along neatly-cut hedges and elegant-looking picket fences on a pristine European subdivision and Kyouya was on the driver's seat. Aki was at the back, two months pregnant and chatting animatedly with a heavy-set Australian real estate woman Hikaru had introduced them to. And half a year after the wedding, they were looking for a house.

A week earlier, they had talked about it through dinner and Yoshio thought it was a good idea. He meant, he didn't want Kyouya out of the house that bad but, it was about time he lived independently, especially now that he was married and having a child. His two older brothers did. Not that Kyouya was being too dependent on his father. He made his way through college alone; he broke into the company through his own will, yadda, yadda. Suddenly, the voices rose but remained calm. Suddenly, the tension was suffocating. Suddenly, Aki had to play referee, "I want a cake. Can you get me a cake, Kyouya? Please?"

Kyouya had insisted they move out in less than a week. The cake hadn't calmed his nerves. He'd hire the best architects and engineers and interior designers and have their house tower from the ground in seven days, good seven thousand miles away from that old man.

"Are you insane?" Aki sat on the bed, aiming pillow missiles at his back while he worked on his computer. He dodged three good aims; the fourth one barely missed his ear and the pillow landed on the carpet. "Even Superman can't build a house in a week."

"You don't know me, Aki," Kyouya said with conviction while pecking the keyboard with his fingers with vengeance. "Believe me, I can do it."

"Oh, shut it." Aki punched the fifth pillow to a good shape before throwing it to her target. She hit bull's eye.

"You should stop throwing pillows, you know?" Kyouya told her while putting his computer down and taking one of those wretched pillows that landed on the floor. "It's very rude."

"Maybe we should try real estate."

So seven days later, here he was, driving five miles per (no wonder Tachibana had made excuse), complimenting those beautiful Victorian houses and wishing inwardly he would win to get the house he wanted. Which was hardly the case since he never heard a, "Is this okay?" or "Are you fine with this house?" from any of the two since they began the tour of the subdivision this afternoon.

"Aki?" Kyouya interrupted their babble and he could see through the rearview mirror that the heavy-set Australian real estate woman was not very pleased with him.

"Yes, Kyouya?" Aki replied while looking up to meet his eyes.

"Maybe I should have a look at the houses as well."

The Australian heavy-set woman replied, "Maybe you should drive first, and then you can have a look at the houses after."

And he didn't argue, because he didn't want bloodshed because Aki was there. He made a mental note to send threats to this real estate woman before sending her away-far, far away. He met Aki's eyes, and he knew that she knew what he was thinking so he dismissed the thought. At least the sending-threats part.

**xoxox**

His initial reaction was a no. It's too . . . bright, no.

The house was too European-the roof flat instead of sloped, the walls glass-paned instead of bricked. Sunshine streamed freely through the large glass windows and it was too bright, it hurt his eyes. He could argue about privacy but he was sure Aki would rebuff it so he chose not to say anything. It was not a very big house, just enough for a kitchen, a living room and a dining room fit on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second. The roof had a balcony and the basement was half-buried. The only thing he appreciated about the lot was the yard. It had a patio and well, Kyouya could landscape the-no, no, he didn't like the house.

Kyouya would have preferred the quaint Victorians-he turned to Aki and she was delighted; he turned to the agent, her eyes spelled profit-but in this one, he was sure his suggestion would receive veto.

He said no many times, but Aki was whining so he said yes. Two days later, they had moved in-there were boxes everywhere and half of those on the living room were still unpacked. The kitchen was the only part of the house fully furnished-Aki spent the whole day making it look more like a dwelling place than their bedroom, which in case she didn't know, was more important because they slept there. And sleep was very important to Kyouya more than food.

They were slouched on the divan after they had finished unpacking all the boxes on the bedroom. Kyouya's head was nestled on Aki's lap and she was threading her fingers through his soft hair while humming a song they both loved to play on the piano. There wasn't any piano on their new house because there wasn't enough room for an organ but Aki bought along that miniature piano Tamaki had given as a present on their wedding, which Kyouya thought was too cheeky. Maybe it was Haruhi's idea. He knew his best friend too well; Tamaki would have given them an eccentric gift that wouldn't have fit inside the reception.

"Aki," Kyouya spoke her name while closing his eyes. He could admit he enjoyed hearing his voice speak her name but he wouldn't.

"Hm?" Aki's head was nestled on the backrest and the serenity was precious.

"Welcome home."

Her face broke into a smile. Aki pinched his nose as if telling off a child. "I thought you didn't like the house."

"Well, you know." Kyouya shrugged. "It has a lot of downs. I hate the windows, the wallpaper. The lawn is tolerable. But at least I got you here. You and that little buddy on your stomach."

"Uhm-hm?"

"And well, it's in this place where I can look forward to more little buddies with my hair and your eyes running around the house making chaos."

"And you'd have a lot of renovations to do."

"Gladly."

They waited for silence to settle and Aki resumed humming their song.

"Aki?"

He sat up and touched her arm. Aki looked at him.

"You're beautiful. When did I last say that?"

"About ten minutes ago before we sat here."

"Ten minutes! How rude of me!"

Aki chuckled vehemently and punched his arm. "You're silly."

Kyouya reached for her shoulder and pulled her closer. He bent down to kiss the top of her head. "This is home."

"Welcome home, Kyouya."

**xoxox**

**A/N: **Hello, I'm alive. College kept me busy. Took me a while before I realized I had to make this happen. Leave reviews and tell me what 'ya think.


	15. c h e e s y

**Title:** Confessions of a Married Man

**Rating:** PG-13

**Pairing:** Kyo/OC

**Disclaimer:** Kyouya not mine. Don't slap it on my face.

**Notes:** I checked my last update on this story and it's circa half a year ago. Pardon my inactivity but college is sort of beating the crap out of me. Bear with me for a while, okay. In the meantime, here is more Kyo/OC fluff.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Kyouya remembered the first time he saw her.

She never appealed to him at that time; she was not his type. Aside from the fact that she was the sister of the man who hated him to the ends of the earth (which made it a taboo to get close, of course), she was too... whimsical for his liking. Whimsical, in his opinion, was not the right adjective to qualify as a turn-on. Kyouya preferred curves, long curls, slender legs, and scholarly conversations rather than red-hair, quirky, spontaneous and odd, thank you very much. Needless to say, he never gave her a second thought.

They were at the same department in college for Aki's first two years before she transferred to Literature. They attended a class together once-an elective-but they hardly ever talked. Had it not been for group activities would they engage into conversations, not to mention their discussions centered mainly on school, business and politics rather than the exchange personal information. Would Suuichi ever catch them together, Kyouya would most likely escape beheading if not for his incredible reflexes.

Thus, their relationship started with acquaintances to once-drinking partners at a frat party. It was the first time he had actually talked to her. Kyouya remembered he was the first to approach then because amid the hype of the party-loud music, bodies clashing-she was by herself at the bar, while mulling over a bottle of light alcohol.

"You should drink something stronger than that," Kyouya said while occupying the empty stool beside her.

"I was only dragged here," she scowled impatiently while drumming her fingers on the bottle of her drink, not bothering to look at him.

"By whom?" he asked, out of sheer curiosity.

"And why do you care?" she shot back, turning around to look at him. Surprised, of course, to the person actually talking to her. "Ootori-san?"

"Hi," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You're up to something, aren't you?" she accused outrightly while pointing a finger at him. He didn't feel quite at all offended.

"What's wrong with talking?"

"There's something wrong with talking when it's between you and the sister of the person whom you hate so much and hates you in return," she said in a single breath. "Which is I. Oftentimes, normal conversations turn to your vicious bickering with Suuichi."

Kyouya chuckled at her bluntness that faintly reminded him of brown hair and chocolate eyes. She laughed back at him then, and that was the first time they shared something short to, well... _intimate_.

Hence, he became much aware of her as a result. He quit dating for a while and oftentimes, he would find himself wandering in the library, hovering near her study carrel by the tall windows near the Languages section, sometimes watching her sleep discreetly in the afternoon at times when the library was usually empty. He knew when she took breaks or when she filed her forms for shifting to Literature. He watched her from a distance, paying attention to every move she made. He would not, however, admit that such actions were stalkerish at the very least.

Never in his life would he confess he was attracted to her, despite his deviant feats of looking up her schedule and personal information at the university home page.

That's why when they were properly introduced at that party that started it all, Kyouya didn't let go of the chance. He dodged all of Suiichi's threats and asked Aki out; she said yes. They dated for a few years, dates that included theaters rented out completely to amusement parks with rides that involved heights being barred (Kyouya insisted through gritted teeth-Aki was ultimately amused) to simple walks in the park hand in hand.

Truth was, Kyouya was in love. All other relationships were mostly non-committal and brief but as cheesy as this sounded, Aki had something in the way she moved, the way spoke to him, the way smiled at him, or even the way she slept at the library that was entirely different from other girls he's dated. Also, Kyouya found it amusing when Aki would turn down all his hints to physical touches. She would allow holding hands and kissing to limited areas of the face (which unfortunately did not include the mouth), which was entirely new to him. With one wink, he usually got what he wanted had it not been Aki, so he took it as a challenge and bet one of his cars she would give in soon. She did not. Hikaru was driving his Mercedes a week later.

That's when Kyouya decided to take things seriously and it was not because he wanted to take advantage of her. The feelings were entirely new but he welcomed them just the same. He was glad, actually that finally, _finally_, it has come. Fuyumi had been the one most eager about it.

So when he had the chance to tell her he wanted their relationship to progress into something much deeper, he took it. Aki was on her third year then and Kyouya was about to graduate; she said no, she wasn't ready yet. He understood, or tried to. They were young and had more things in store for them but Kyouya was nonetheless hurt. He took it well.

By the time Aki finished her degree and her MA and had a full-time job as an instructor at Toudai (and part-time contributing to a national magazine), Kyouya had bought more than half the shares of two of their family's many corporations. He asked if it was time. Yes, she said it was.

Two years later, at a coffee shop they both loved, as they paid for their coffee on the counter, he asked if she would marry him. The heavy bustle on the cafe was halted, though Kyouya did not intend to raise his voice when he said it. Aki had dropped her change with a clatter on the floor, her mouth agape while looking at him incredulously. The stranger next to him elbowed him on the ribs and muttered, "Give her the ring."

Kyouya answered with a blunt, "There's no ring." And there was a loud chatter of is-he-serious-es and are-you-kidding-me-s. Indeed, there was no ring so right after Aki dragged him out of the coffee shop in a sprint, he asked why. She smacked him on the head and cried with a huff, "Are you kidding me? If you pull a stunt like that next time I'm with you, I'm mincing you to pieces."

"I'm serious," he said. She was holding his hand and he held back tightly, refusing to let go.

"Well you better are, mister-" Then, the words sank in. "Eh-_what_?"

"I want you to marry me." He wouldn't let go of her hand even if she would later try to pull it away. Way much later, Aki would wonder why and how on earth did she say yes to him. But she did. Now, here they were.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_"Kyouya, why did you marry me?"_

_"Hn? I don't know. Maybe because you wouldn't kiss me?"_

_"Is that it?"_

_"I think so. Why did you say yes then?"_

_"Maybe because your proposal's one of the most amusing I've ever heard?"_

_"Most unique, more like. You know me. I don't want to be like someone else."_

_"Kyouya, I appreciate the sentiment."_

_But they both knew, even without words that it was something else, something much deeper, something more tacky but true and sincere that both, even in their lifetime would not dare admit._

.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N:** We all don't like to admit the cheesiness within us, don't we? I've got to raise my hand to that. Give me a holler and let me know you're reading this.


	16. s t r e n g t h 1

Confessions of A Married Man

Moi Escalante

_Strength (Part I)_

_Notes/ Disclaimer: OHSHC is not mine. Chapter is cut into two parts. I'm working on the second one so please bear with me. This is too much hardcore drama and angst._

Kyouya stands in the doorway, as Aki waits for him to leave. She fixes the knot on his tie, brushes the stray hair away from his eyes and kisses him good bye. They talk about how the day may go and end, or if they are planning to take their son to dinner or whether or not they should go out-just the two of them-and spend time together at last. This is how their morning usually plays before Kyouya leaves for work and before Touya goes to school.

Today... today is different. Aki watches as Kyouya fixes this tie and brushes the unseen creases on his coat. He folds the cuffs on his sleeves with ease and notices his wife staring. He raises an eyebrow, but Aki's face remains nonchalant. She sighs; Kyouya stops abruptly and return her stare. There is a worried look on his expression, and Aki begins to explain. "You've changed."

His breath hitches and he blinks once to chew on her words. Aki leans on the wall behind her, as if moving to a defensive position. Her eyes are tired and her shoulders jut forward. He tries to read her but he can't-he couldn't. He never could. "What do you mean?" he asks, his eyebrows wrinkling and his lips now forming a frown.

She veers her eyes downward. "I don't know... it's just that," she begins and shrugs. "I don't understand you anymore."

He tries to chuckle to ease the tension, but fails. It results an unknowing scoff. "Nonsense, I'm still Kyouya."

"Yeah, maybe it's just me..." She pushes herself from the wall and walks to his direction. She runs her fingers on the fabric on his shirt with an affectionate smile. "Touya wants a new bike."

He kisses her forehead and tries to smile. "I'll get Tachibana buy him one."

She shakes her head and says, "Not a good idea. Not now that he's still got that big bruise from last time when he crashed the previous one."

"He's so you." Kyouya bends down to peck her lips, but the smile she gave before he closed the door is something he does not understand. Kyouya then knew that their conversation that morning is not something he must take for granted.

So he calls Fuyumi that same morning. He always does, whenever he and his wife have unvoiced misunderstandings like this one. He asked his secretary to cancel all his appointments after lunch and make time so he can drop by Fuyumi's house after work. She is surprised to find him on her doorstep, but welcomes him just the same. They settle on the back garden and sits on the swing while watching Fuyumi's twins play in the playhouse.

"What is it?" Fuyumi asks when Kyouya remains silent. He sighs before relating their conversation that morning and how Aki sounded so distant and... Sad. He closes his eyes and buries his face on his hands. He is aware of the distance, and of how much they both changed but Kyouya is not ready to take on it yet. What does he do? He is knowledgeable of a lot of things, but when it comes to building and keeping relationships, he is not yet a pro. He sighs in frustration.

"What do I do?"

Fuyumi's next words were abrupt and caught him off guard. "Are you having an affair?"

His head jerked upwards to meet her eyes and she sees right through him. She always does, even if he doesn't say a thing. He runs his fingers through his hair and looks away. The slap is something he had expected but the force of Fuyumi's hand against his jaw still left him literally speechless. He tastes blood but he does not say a thing. His sister is shaking with fury. "Bastard."

The tears are inevitable at this point, but he wipes them before they even fall. He grits his teeth and feels the gravity of his sin and the pain on his right cheek. "You've done this before, Kyouya. I didn't expect you to do it again. What is wrong with you?"

There is contemplative silence where he fills his lungs with air and keeps the tears at bay. Fuyumi continues, "Is it because of the disease?"

He is recently diagnosed with Parkinson's and Kyouya took the news badly. It is worse than after Aki's mammography, even after the surgery. He is not as strong as Tamaki or Fuyumi or Aki. He stumbled from pub to pub in the other side of town that night and it was the first time he slept with a stranger. He woke up the next morning in her apartment, disorientated, crying and regretting his decision.

"I'm falling apart, Fuyumi," he finally says, his voice shaking. "Everything that I tried to build, this family... with Aki and Touya. I'm losing them both because of this disease."

"And whose fault is it?" Her voice was sharp and stung his senses. "Kyouya, it's not the disease that's taking them away from you. It's you who's trying to distance yourself from them!"

Kyouya is standing now. "You don't know what this feels!" His hand begins to shake uncontrollably and Fuyumi stares at it for a second before he hides it from view.

"Have you taken any medication yet?"

He looks away with a hard stare.

"You're not even trying to help yourself!"

"When are you going to tell Aki?"

"It was not an affair," he tells her.

"You slept with someone other than your wife, dammit!"

He does not say anything.

Fuyumi pushes herself from where she sits and looks at him. "You disappoint me," she says before leaving him standing there.

He leaves then, shortly after Fuyumi and catches himself heading to the direction of /her/ apartment. He hesitates to knock, but she stumbles on him on her way out of the door before he changes his mind and goes home. "You startled me," she says. "What are you doing here?"

Kyouya braces himself and shoves his hands on the pockets on his coat. "Let's take a walk."

They walk alongside each other in silence. She glances at his direction once in a while and longs for a conversation, but Kyouya does not say anything. Finally, she breaks the silence. "You know," she starts. "I never knew why you were so troubled that night."

Kyouya remains silent and she continues. "I know you're not going to tell me anyway, and I'm not after anything, Ootori-san, but I want to know why you suddenly show up on my doorstep at the wee hours of the afternoon with that same look you wore when we first met. Did your wife find out?"

She stops walking. Kyouya does not realize this at first but halts when he noticed. He looks at her with mournful eyes. "I just didn't know what to do, or where to go."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing."

"You should tell her," she advises with a stern face. "I'm not after hurting your wife, Ootori-san but I think it's better if you just tell her."

"She'll know about you," he tells her. "I don't want you to get involved."

But she already is. "She'll find out anyway. Do you want me to talk to her?"

She knows how broken he is, how fragile he has become, and she wants to reach out and lend a hand. He will not allow her. "I know that one night was a mistake, but I want to end this once and for all. Then you'll expect not to hear from me any longer."

"That's not what I want to happen," he says. It was his entire fault, and he does not want to take anything away from anyone simply because of his impulsive mistakes and wrong decisions. "Are... you going to be okay?"

"Okay as I will ever be," she tells him.

"I'm sorry," he says, almost muttering the words. He pulls his coat closer.

"It was a choice," she replies and waves her hand. She takes a step back and begins to leave.

"Good bye."

He heads to his car and drives his way home. He arrives a few minutes later and finds neither Aki nor Touya to welcome him home. He sighs, takes off his glasses and stuffs it on his pocket. Kyouya makes his way to the bedroom when he hears a thud and a pair of batteries rolling on the floor to his feet. He finds Aki asleep on the couch; the television has been off on self-timer. He sits on the carpet and strokes her hair. She stirs but does not wake up. When he run his thumb on his cheek, she wakes up and squints at him. "Kyouya, you're home." She tries to stand up and Kyouya takes his hand away. "Have you eaten?"

"What have we got left?" he asks with a smile.

"I cooked beef risotto for dinner." She starts to stand. "Wait, I'll warm it up."

He grabs her wrist and stops her. "Never mind, let's go to bed."

Her forehead wrinkles but she kisses Kyouya on the forehead and smiles anyway. "Okay."

When Kyouya was dressed and they were tucked in bed, Aki faces him and notices the red on his cheek. She puts her warm hand on it and rubs it gently. "What happened to your face?" she asks. Kyouya cannot lie at this point.

"I got into a fight with Fuyumi," he tells her, feeling like a middle school kid again, asking for refuge from the rain. He feels defenseless and unable to fight for himself.

"It looks pretty bad. Is she that mad?" She leans over to him, propping her shoulders on the mattress to support herself. "Should I be worried?"

Kyouya shakes his head to reassure her. "It's all settled. We'll kiss and make up, eventually. Fuyumi and I."

Aki reaches to touch his face with her fingers. She strokes his hair and Kyouya closes his eyes to relish the feel of her touch on his skin. "I went to see my OB today," she tells him and Kyouya listens intently. "She says I'm in pretty good condition, hormones and all. I know we've been trying for over a year now, to no avail. Just that, I'm undergoing a little bit of stress than normal. Maybe it's just because of Touya growing up... and the disease-"

Kyouya's eyes are wide open. Aki rights herself. "I know you're having a lot of trouble coping, Kyouya. But I'm here. Touya's here." He looks at her eyes and sees the sincerity on her face. He remembers the Aki he met ten years ago, at a place far away. He remembers her eyes back then, they were the color of the sea. They are still the same color, even after the years. The same vibrance. The same intensity. He remembers her long lashes, and how he wanted to kiss them every time he sees her blink. He sits up and pulls his wife with him. He cups her face and stares at those eyes again, intent to drown and lose his bearings amid the hurricane of her gaze. Then, he breaks the spell and leans in to kiss her mouth. Somehow, clothes find their way to the floor; it was the first time they made love without looking at the calendar first.


End file.
